Cat Poop Coffee - the most expensive in the world

Strangely enough but it is indeed! One of the most expensive coffee in the world is made from feces and is produce in the Philippines and other Asian countries like, Indonesia and Vietnam.

It’s called kape alamid in Tagalog, kopi luwak in Indonesia, ca’ phe’ Chon in Vietnam or simply weasel or civet coffee in English. It’s selling price range between US$100 and $600 per pound. Outrageously high, just to sip a cup of coffee eh? It is the world's premier rare, exotic coffee and one of the most coveted among coffee connoisseurs. Thus, the tag price.

The British royals noted for their love of tea and having such scrupulous taste buds have acknowledged that this coffee is certainly potable and distinct for coffee lovers around the world. Maybe weird and rare, but it’s prestige entered the world when Oprah Winfrey once introduced it to her billions of viewers around the globe and the poop, I mean the coffee became much more famous.

Apart from its selling price, its origin is rather peculiar. It is extracted from the beans of umber cherries or coffee berries, which have been carefully sniffed and eaten by species called Asian Palm Civet and other related civets. Apparently so, these animals have their special skills in sniffing and selecting only the tastiest red of berries. Accordingly, the wild civets are the most selective and their droppings are also the most difficult to harvest.

Once eaten, of course it passed through the digestive tract of the animal and the undigested coffee berries are then defecated. Yes, your coffee bean is extracted from the animal feces itself, harvested and roasted. Disgusting as it may sound, surprisingly, it is incredibly delicious with lingering flavor and like a fine-aged wine it has exceptional smoothness and is the most aromatic. Like no other coffee in the world, it is the least bitter coffee and some say it comes with a hint of chocolate undertone.

Now that you know where this one of a kind coffee beans came from, would you still be curious and tempted to try it and be willing to pay around $30 a cup? I'm a coffee lover not a connoisseur. So maybe, no-thank you!

Asian Palm Civets came from a small member of the viverridae family, which is native from the Southeast Asia. They are physically characterized with a small, quite stocky body size and mottled gray and black shaggy hair and a long tail. There is a white mask across the forehead, a small white patch under each eye, a white spot on each side of the nose, and a narrow dark line between the eyes. The muzzle, ears, lower legs, and distal half of the tail are black, with three rows of black markings on the body. Similar to skunk, they secrete foul chemical defense and emit it when threatened or upset. Civets have the reproductive organs of both male and female and hence, they are hermaphrodite.

Although civets feed on berries, they also eat palm flower sap, which when fermented turns toddy – a sweet liquor. Hence, a name Toddy Cat.

They live in the forest but they also inhabit parks and suburban gardens with fruit bearing trees and undisturbed vegetation. The locals consider them a nuisance because of their ability to climb trees and houses. They litter and stay in the attics. They are nocturnal and make loud noises with their movements at night.

Basically the process is really simple, it is the collection and selection of the droppings that is really hard. So, to produce this rare coffee, the locals pick and gather the poops (how tedious a job could be), wash them thoroughly, set-apart the greenish-brown beans and finally, once the outermost bed is removed, the finely selected beans are sundried and lightly roasted.

And there you go, your coffee beans ready for brewing.

So, cof-feces anyone?

Copyright@CrisSp~TM / 05-2012. Fearless but not Heartless!